She explored the area with a team from World Land Trust (WLT) partner organisation, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), who manage the reserve.

Barbara Siebert, from FPWC, said:

“The meadows were dotted with colour: yellow, white, blue, and red flowers, making it the ideal time to explore the botanical richness of the area.”

Eleonora is a doctor of Biological Sciences, a professor, and an outstanding taxonomic botanist. As an advisor to FPWC on all botanical issues, she offers them much valued expert assistance.

It was Eleonora’s first visit to the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, but certainly not the last, and the FPWC team enjoyed showing her the reserve’s slopes and mountain meadows of Mount Dagnac. Barbara said:

“The abundance of flowers was overwhelming. Among them were many very rare endemic species including a spectacular, large-flowered iris (Iris elgantissima) and even some that Dr Gabrielyan classified as new in Armenia, or the area.”